Mr. Ashcroft is in trouble again.
What has the controversial attorney general been doing this time? Well . . . praying and reading the Bible. Not during work hours. Not disruptively. But right in his office at the Justice Department before work starts.
Well, is he requiring other workers to pray, too? You can’t do such a thing! . . . Oh, he’s not requiring anyone else to pray?
Well, will some folks be passed over for promotion based on their religious views? Then, that’s simply not right! . . . No? You mean, he’s held religious fellowship every morning for years and several of his key longtime staffers have never once attended? Er . . . what is the problem, then?
One unidentified attorney at the Justice Department said, “He’s using public spaces to have a personally meaningful event to which I would not be welcome, nor would I feel welcome.”
A “personally meaningful event”? My goodness, didn’t we just go through this kind of thing with Clinton, but . . . it’s not like that at all.
Another bravely nameless lawyer at the Justice Department calls Ashcroft’s early morning events “offensive, disrespectful and unconstitutional.” Wait a second, isn’t Mr. Ashcroft simply practicing his religion in the pursuit of happiness? We all try to bring a little joy from our own lives into our workplaces. Stop making it a federal case.
If Mr. Ashcroft uses his position to push his religion except by personal example he’ll be out in a New York minute, and well he should be. But he’s not doing that.
This isn’t about religion; it’s about freedom.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.